New Disney+ Series Titled “Rivals” Based On Novel by Jilly Cooper

According to Deadline, Disney+ has announced a new eight-part series titled Rivals that is based on the popular novel by British author Jilly Cooper.

What’s Happening:

  • Disney+ will have a new eight-part series, Rivals, based on the popular novel by British author Jilly Cooper.
  • Rivals is a part of Cooper’s bestselling Rutshire Chronicles. This is a series of novels that are set in the 1980s in England.
  • There is no release date as of yet, but it will premiere on Disney+ in EMEA and Asia Pacific and on Star+ in Latin America.

Rivals Synopsis:

  • Set in the fictional upper-class county of Rutshire, Rivals dives headfirst into the cutthroat world of independent television in 1986 when a long-standing rivalry between two powerful men is about to boil over: ex-Olympian, Member of Parliament, and notorious womanizer Rupert Campbell-Black, and his Rutshire neighbor Tony Baddingham, controller of the independent TV franchise Corinium Television.
  • As tensions rise and rivalries deepen, there are spilled secrets, forged alliances, and snatched liaisons that draw wives, lovers, colleagues, friends, and families into their battle.

What They're Saying:

  • “The combination of Jilly Cooper and Disney+ is delightfully unexpected. We were thrilled when Dominic brought us these iconic books, and we leapt at the chance to bring them to life. We can’t wait to welcome Rupert Campbell-Black and the residents of Rutshire to the platform,” said Lee Mason, Director of Scripted Content, EMEA, Disney+.
  • Jilly Cooper added: “I am so, so excited. Throughout my childhood, my favorite word was ‘Disney’, and by a miraculous coincidence, greater-than-ever Disney are joining forces with an utterly brilliant drama company, Happy Prince, to turn my novel into a TV series. I know they will bring the boardroom battles and love triangles of my characters to life – particularly those of my devastatingly handsome hero. I cannot wait to see who will be stepping into his shoes…let the hunt for our Rupert Campbell-Black commence!”